But the kingdom has insisted on disposing of its AMX-30s before deciding on whether to accept the Leclerc.

France sold 290 AMX-30s to Saudi Arabia in the early 1970s, but it is believed that fewer than half are still serviceable.

Saudi Arabia reportedly plans to sell around 30 AMX-30s to Tunisia, said the paper.

France is considering a Saudi demand to buy back the remaining AMX-30s in exchange for Riyadh's agreeing to purchase the Leclerc.

"We have a promise from France that whenever Saudi Arabia hands over the tanks, we will receive some," Hrawi told The Daily Star.

The London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper was quoted by the paper as saying Friday that the deal involved 62 AMX-30s, but Hrawi said the quantity was unknown.

Hrawi also agreed with his French counterpart that France would repair the army's stock of around 30 French-built Panhard AML-90 anti-tank vehicles.

The minister denied, however, that the additional tanks and repair work signaled a general upgrade of the military's armored capabilities, accoridng to the Daily Star.

"We are not re-arming the army," he said. "We are accepting the AMX because it is better than the tanks we have now."

Giat Industries introduced the AMX-30 in 1968 and has since sold 2,300 to 12 armies.

The 36-ton tank is operated by a crew of four and is armed with a 105-millimeter main gun with a maximum range of 2,000 meters.

The Lebanese Army is presently equipped with 304 tanks, of which 212 are Soviet T-54 and T-55s. The remaining vehicles are versions of the American M-48 Patton, the US Army's main tank in the 1960s. Lebanon received two deliveries of the M-48, the first in the 1970s and the second in 1983, according to the paper – Albawaba.com